Rambally: Government duty to protect residents in flood-prone Caroni

Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally says it is the duty of the government, through its relevant ministries and the governing local government corporation, to ensure that the Caroni River urgent repairs are done to fix eroded embankments to prevent potential disaster from the next flood.

Rambally in a letter dispatched to the Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi and chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Kwasi Robinson, on Friday said "these entities have a duty to exercise due care when it desilts rivers and repairs embankments so that normal floodwaters do not inundate surrounding lands and damage homes and properties."

He said it was also the duty of the state agencies to properly maintain the necessary drains, river channels, sluice gates, flood-flaps and failure to so is tantamount to negligence.

Rambally said residents of adjoining communities of Ibis Gardens, Caroni Village, La Paille Gardens and La Paille settlement face imminent threat of being flooded unless urgent action is taken to repair the river embankment in several areas which have collapsed or at the brink of failure.

Last week, several homes in these communities were flooded after flood traps and sluice gates were found to be inoperable and pumps brought in to bail the water out were inadequate.

Rambally, who toured the river last Wednesday on a boat, said the embankment along the Old Caroni River (at the top of Persad Street) and the embankments along the Caroni River particularly at Ibis Gardens, Caroni Village, La Paille Gardens and La Paille settlement (at Tullock Street Extension) are in need of urgent repair.

He suggested the "straightening" of the flow of the river at Tullock Street Extension, and the repair of the sluice gates and flood flaps along the river, particularly in the Caroni Village area, were some of the proactive measures the government can take.

Rambally said the regional corporation can assist in clearing debris from the waterways and deliver much-needed dirt to rebuild compromised embankments.

He also wants the corporation to assist residents in cleaning flooded cesspools in Caroni Village and widen secondary drains, near Vishnu Boy's Hindu College, as some of the short-term measures to be implemented immediately.

Some of the long-term measures, he suggested, include sirens to warn residents of fast-rising floods to evacuate, installation of safety signs, readily available sandbags, and industrial water-pumps on standby.

Rambally said "serious consideration ought to be given to whether there is a need to have a local state of emergency issued in situations where there is occurrence of potential and/or there is in fact widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property. A declaration of a local state of emergency will guarantee an activation of basic response and recovery aspects of any and all applicable emergency operations plans and the authorised furnishing of aid, assistance and directives under those plans."

The MP said health care teams should be on standby to respond as floods recede to aid those most in need and all attempts should be made to settle flood relief claims.